Apparatus for cleaning and clarifying used lubricating oil



July 17, 1923. 1.462.048

T. 0. RICHARDS APPARATUS FOR CLEANING -AND CLARIFYING USED LUBRICATING OIL Filed Sept. 23. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 +12 5 QQ-JF'J July 17, 1923. r 1,462,048

T. D. RICHARDS AFPARATUS FOR CLEANING AND CLARIFYING USED LUBRICA'IING OIL Filed Sept. 25. 1922 -2 Shuts-Sheet 2 this Patented July 17, 1923.

UNITED. STATES TREGARTH EN DAVIS PATENT OFFICE.

WALES, AUSTRALIA. 7

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AND CLARIFYING USED LUBRICATING OIL.

Application flied September 23, 1922. Serial No. 590,022.

7' 0 all whom it may concern: r

Be it known that I, TREGARTHEN DAVIS ltmunims, subject of the King of Great, Britain and Ireland. residing at 46 Victoria Road. Murridniilc. near bydncy; New South Vales, Australia. have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Cleaning and Clarifying Used Lubricating Oil, of which the following is a specification.

' his invention relates to improvements in apparatus for recovering lubricating oils in a clean reusable condition from dirty used lubricating oil.

The dirt used oil is agitated in large to portions oi water, preferably by steam bliist, and thereby thoroughl intermixed, the extraneous matter is scru bedand Washed out during-the flow of the emulsion-like mixture through vertically disposed fine wire gauze diaphragms. The cleaned oil is as arated from the water by settling. and t e extracted dirty 'matter is deposited in the treatment vessels in which the gauze diaphragms are fitted.

he recovery of usable oil from dirty waste ,i1 is accomplished in this apparatus by repiatedly subdividing it whilst intermixed with water into minute threads or globules which sufl'er rubbing on the surfaces of the wire in the immersed gauze screens as it passes through the perforations in said screens in flowing through the treatment vessels. Tile process is therefore not a mere washing and filtering of the oil. in which there is no novelty. In the scrubbing and washing stages in my apparatus what mi ht be termed a condition of incomplete or 1mperfect temporary emulsification is obtained and the emulsion-like mixture of oil and water is broken down in the separator sta e. Effective cleaning of oil results from its treatment Whilst in this emulsion-like condition. The process effected in the apparatus is therefore distinct from known proccases in which a partial cleaning of dirty oil is effected by merely straining it Whilst mixed with water under conditions in which the essential condition of repeatedly attenuating the oil in water to reduce it to extremelyfine threads or'globules by flowing through submersed gauze screens is not aimed at and is not procured in fact.

In the accompanym drawings,-

Fig. 1 is an ondel more or less is caused to fine gauze screenswhich are subvation of the appa Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse the plane 22 Fig. 3; and

F 1g. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section on e lane 3-3 Fi 1. T e parts of tfie apparatus below the bench 10 are not section on invention, but they are used in connect1on therewith for the completion of the operawhich the present invention consists.

In the primary scouring vessel 11 used dirty oil mixed with forty volumes of water pass through a. plurality of mersed; it less minute is thus subdivided into more or globules,

mixture of water and dirty oil which is run into the funnel 12, into a chamber which is constructed of three concentrically arranged cylinders, the upper parts of which are finely perforated, the lower parts being pan or cup bottoms which are not perforated. The innermost cylinder 16 is constructed of brass wire gauze about 25 gauge, the intermediate one 17 of brass wire gauze about 36 gauge, and the outer one 18 of brass wire gauze about gauge, and there are annular clearance spaces between said cylinders. The pan or cup bottoms 19, 20 and 21 of these several cylinders are constructed of non-perforated sheet metal. .The assembly of three concentric gauze cylinders is located in the vessel 11 on a seating22 and by a bracket 23. 24 is a diaphragm extending across the chamber 11; it is constructed of 25 gauge brass wire gauze, but its lower-most part up to the level of the pan bottoms 19, 20 and 21 is formed as a solid plate ciIl 25. 26 is a take-oil chamber on the rear side of the diaphragm 24; a short leg 27 of an overflow pipe is located in the compartment 26, its

raw mouth 28 being positioned below the too of the cill 25 so that in dischareinjzz it the subject of the present i wardly draws from the bottom of the compartment; 1ts long leg 29 passes into the rmvashing vessel 30 at 31. -19 is an air vent nipple which functions to break vacuum in the pipe 2729 and so to prevent siphon action. The bent ipe 27-29 functions to discharge the vesse 11 b drawing water froilrtlle bot tom of it t us to maintain the top lev l of liquid in said vessel just below the top o t' the concentric cylinders.

During the passage of the mixed oil and water through the screens 16. 17. l and ll. successively the coarser and more easily rt moved extraneous heavy matter associated with the oil is released; some of it is do posited in the vessel ll. but the less readily separable portions of it are carried on with the oil. The deposit is collected in the bottoms of the pans 19. 20 and 2i and in the bottom of the vessel 11 forwardly of the cill 25 of the diaphragm 24. This deposited matter is removed from time to time.

The mixture of water and partially cleaned oil runs b gravity through the pipe 32 into the towns ing vessel 30. Overflow through the bent pipe 27-29 only happens when the pipe 32 does not .carry oil" t e liquid at a sufilcient rate to prevent flooding of the vessel 11. The water-oil mixture is received in another triple walled chamber 33 in the vessel 30; this chamber is constructed similarly to the triple wall chamber contained in the vessel 11. Rearwardly of this triple wall chamber 33 an angularly disposed solid diaphragm 34 is fixed across ll'l8 (lllml l'l ti l. 50 being a clearance space below this 1cc phmgm. The top edge of the solid tildphragm 34 is set about level with an il flow hole 36, which is pierced through ihe end plate 37 of the chamber 30. Above 1 his solid top edge a continuin perforated lllfi phragm consisting of 25 gauge brass \virc gauze 35 forms an upward extension of sand diaphragm 34. Parallel with the L'llfll)lllfl;'flll 34 and spaced with a little clearance rearof it and separate from each other are two diaphragms 9-9 and 40 constructed respectively of 36 gauge brass wirc gauze and 50 gauge brass wire gauze. H a ballle splaycd angulariy forwardly. and are tending downwardly from the wall 3T atthe level of the bottom edge of the oil flow aperture 36 thcrcthrough. Th o ly liquid in successively passing; through thc gauze walls of the chamber 33 and the scrccns Ill? and l-ll thereby sull'crs a furth r scrubbing in the intermixed water. so that substantially all the adherent carbon and other extraneous matter is washed out of il. The deposited mud is collected in th pans .Il of the triple wall chamber 2%?) and in lli bottom ol' the vessel 3". The latter deposit may be drawn oil from time to time through lbc ump l2 by opening a cock 4% to allow it to pass to the collecting tunnel H and thence to the waste pipe line H); the cock 43 is opened from timc to timc as found necessary. 46 is tbc short log of an inverted U-pipe the bend of which is set above the top of the aperture 36: and slightly below the top of thc triple cylinder chamber 33. 51 is an air leak nipple iu the top of the bend; the long leg of this pipe is connected int"- the Waste pipe 45. The liquid level in the vessel 30 is prevented from rising: abovc the top of the chamber 33 by discharge oi Water from the bottom of it through this U-pipc into the \vuslu pipc l5. The oily stratum at the top o l the liquid in the vessel 30 carries some water, and the watery stratum at the bottom of it carries some oil. ater flows through the bottom clearance space fil] into the rear part o I the vessel 30. passing through the screens 39 and flowing thence through the aperture 5 into the lower art of the separator vessel 48. The oil which floats above thc top of the diaphragm 34 flows through the screens 39 and 10 and the flow aperture 36 into the upper part of the separator vessel 48. Oil discharged from the watery strata in the lower part of the vessel 30 ascends to the oily stratum at the to Any ascending oil which is trapped belbw the hallle 41 passes up through it; this bafllc checks any upward surging movemept by which water would be forced up along the wall 37 into the oily stratum. i

The separator vessel 49 is fitted in the up per part of it with two 25-gaugc brass vsire i'liaphragms 57 and 587 An inverted U-tube on with T-moutb 60 is accommodated betwocn the diaphran'ms 57 and 58: its intake mouth (ll is located below the augularly solid plate balllc 62. 52 is an airvent in the bend of this pipc to break vacuum in it. The long log of this U-pipe is an extension of thc waste pipe 45. 52 is set at the same level as thobend of the Lbpipc 4-6. 65 is a waste gutter into which the u aste pipe 45 is led. 86 is a sump in the bottom of the vessel 48. 67 is a pipe leading thcrctrom' through a valve 63 to the sump i'unucl 4-4 lot lbc cductiou ot' slimy or other prcripitatcd mattcr which has been collected in the bottom of the vessel 4 An angularly disposed ballle oi 25 gauge wire gauze ($9 is placed above fhc battle 62 and fixed to the back cud wall 70 of the vessel 49. Betu-ccn its lovr forward end and the gauze diaphragm 5% is a clearance space Ti. 72 is a clean oil take-oil pipe, the intake mouth o l which is set a little below the level of the U-pipc bends and about the same level as the oil iiov'vape?gure 3G. 73 is a valve in the pipe T2. T4: is a unucl into which cleaned oil cductcd by the pipe 72 is runtor delivery into a distributor 76. whence the oil passes onto the louvrc tables T7 and 78 and is thereon. freed from light volatile and mobile oily constituents and water.

The bend of the U-pipe Gauge lasses (not shown) are fitted to the severe vessels for indicating the liquid levels thereon respective] A The finished cleaned oi is delivered from the channel 47 at'the foot of the lower' bles 77 and 78 are set.

It is to be understood that the respective first second, and third vessels of the cleaning system 11, 30 and 48 may be set up and interconnected in any convenient arrangement provided they are disposed for operation in series so that liquid passes successively through them at a regular"slow rate and the levels of the liquids are mainmined as described. -The flow must be sufficiently smooth to permit the necessary stratification to take place for the. scpara tion of substantially all the oil from the water in :the separator vessel -18. The oil educted through the pipe 72 is substantially clean and contains only an accidental small proportion of water and kerosene or like ight mobile oils which were intermixed in the original oil.

Oil to be cleaned and reconditioned is delivered into the funnel 14- With water. Forty volumes of water er one volume of oil (more or less) is desirable. The oil is first intermixed with the water; this intermixture is best made by blowing steam through the mixture to agitate it. y A greater or .less proportion of water may be used, better results being obtained when the proportion of water used is high. The miature of water and -oil, which may be agitated by steam, suffers a preliminary screening for the removal of solid impurities'at the coarse gauze grating 14, thence being delivered into the inner screen chamber 16 in a condit on of considerable-agitation; The mixed water and oil flow through the several gauze screens successively in the-scouring vessel 11 and in the rewashin g vessel 30. The oil threads or globules suffer mechanical scrubbing in the water during movement through the gauzes. To minimize fouling: of the vessels with greasy matter, more or less caustic alkali may be added to the washwater, a very small proportion of alkali only being necessary to maintain the vessels in a clean condition during the process. An alkaline condition 'in .'the water thus results in maintaining clear passages through the ig'auze -for flow ofcmil' and water thereical cleaning through. The extraneous matter which rubbed off the finely subdivided oil whilst it is flowing through the screens 16, 11, and 18 successively, is precipitated in the pan bottoms 19, 20 and 21. A limited amount of-prccipitated mud is also found in the bottom of the rear portion of the vessel 11 forwardly of the diaphragm 2-1.

The mixture of water and partially scrubbed oil flows through the pipe 32 and drops therefrom into the innermost cell of the triple wall chamber: 33 in the rewashing vessel 30, and a repetition of the washillg takes )lare in that chamber. Thereafter, in t e rear part of the rcwashing vessel 30,the outflowing liquids stratify by gravity, the oil floating above the water. The water passes belovv'the diaphragm Ill and then goes througln the diaphragm screens 39 and'40; some of it rises to the gauze bafile 41. The floating oil passes above. the dia hragm 34 through the gauze upper extension of it (35) and thence through the auze diaphragms 39 and 40. The bulk of the water still remaining in the rewashing vessel and the separator vessel passes through the aperture 54: in the wall 37, and'the oil passes through that wall by the aperture 36. A slow even rate of flow is maintained so that an agitated condition is not produced in the roar-"part of the vessel 30 or in the separator vessel 48. A quiescent condition is essential in order to promote gravity stratification of the oil from the water. The cleaned oil is educted through the pipe 72 and further treated to remove residual water and light mo'bile'oils on the louvre trays 7778. The clean oil finally passes to a container through the gutter 47. It shows very little trace of previous use. and is a quite ellective lubricant approximating; to the value of the original oil and it may be used therefore in conjunction with or in substitution for new oil for the lubrication of machinerv and the like. The mud deposited durinh the separation of water from oil is collected in the sumps 42 and 86 and is educted through the pipe 45.

hen the vessels are emptied for periodany mud which may be found collected on through the clearance space 71.

\Vhat I claim as m invention and desir to secure by-Detters atent' is 1. Apparatus for recovering clean oils from dirty iised lubricating oils by water washing the same whilst in a minutely subdivided condition, said apparatus consistin essentially of a plurality of vessels fit-te the gauze bafl'le 69 runs off them, said diaphragins disposed substantially verticallg of liqui through said vessels, means for andtacross the direction of flow lag iphoning overflow maintaining a uniform level of liquid in said vessels sulnnersing said diaphragms, means 'for introducing an agitated mixture of dirtyoil and water forward of the terminal screen at the end of one of said vessels means for r'eagitating the mixed oil and Waterduring its course through said vessels, a separator vessel connected serially with the wash vessels, means for removing water from the bottom strata in all said vessels and clean oil from the top stratum in said separator vessel, and means for removing deposited foreign matter from all said vessels.

2. Apparatus for recovering clean oils from dirty used lubricating oils comprising :i plurality of vessels through which dirty used oil intermixed with water is caused to flow is fitted with a plurality of fine wire gauze diaphraglus spaced apart and arranged substantially vertically and transversely of. the direction of flow of the oilwater mixture and immersed in said mixture, that each diaphragm is provided. with a non-perforated an bottom. that an independent gauze diaphragm is mounted in each vessel in front of the delivery outlets, and that each vessel is provided-with a nonipe to maintain a constant level of the oi -water mixture.

3. Apparatus for recovering clean oils from dirty used lubricating oils comprising two washing vessels one fixed above the other and a separator vessel connected to the lower washing vessel, a plurality of concentric wire gauze diaphragms of varying mesh in each washing vessel, a non-perforated pan bottom for each diaphragm, a lower delivery outlct in the first washing vessel to deliver a partlvcleanscd mixture of oil and water into the second washing vessel, :1

delivcrvpipe in each washing vessel to re-- wove excess of water and maintain a constunt lcvcl. of oil-water mixture in each washing; vessel, :1 single vertical gauze plate diaphragm in the first washing vessel forward of the delivery oulets, a series of inclined gauze plate diaphragms in thesecond washing vessel. dividing wall separating said second washing vessel from the separator vessel. an upper and a lower aper ture in said dividing wall. and an inclined baflle plate mounted on said wall below the upper aperture and depending into said secnd washing vessel.

4. Apparatus for recovering clean oils from dirty used lubricating oils, comprising two washing vessels, one fixed above the other and a separator vessel following the lower washing vessel, a roup of three concentric diaphragms of ne Wire gauze in each of said washing vessels, fine wire gauze diaphragms across said washing vessels rearward of the concentric diaphragms therein, non )erforated, pan bottoms on said concentric iaphragms, means for delivering the feed of mixed oil and water into said cbncentric Vdia hragms, so as to procure an agitated con ition of the mixed liquids therein, 'a separator vessel connected to the end of the second washing vessel at high level and also at low level said separator vessel adapted to efi'ect gravit separation of oil from water, means for e ucting floating oil from said separator vessel, and means for educting water from all of said vessels continudusly to maintain a uniform liquid level in them. i

5. Apparatus for recovering clean oils from dirty used lubricating oils, comprising a scrubbing vessel, a plurality of fine mesh gauze wire diaphragms in said vessel, arranged concentrically with the innermost one forming a receiving chamber for an agitated mixture of water and dirty oil, solid pan bottoms on said diaphragms, a fine gauze wire diaphragm across said vessel Into said rewashing vessel, 9. corresponding arrangement of concentric and transverse diaphragms in a rewashing vessel arranged at a lower lever with a pipe arranged for gravity deliverv of the mixed scrubbed liquid in an agitated condition from the scrubbing vessel. means for maintaining all saiddiaphragms immersed in the flowing liquids and a separator vessel with high lev l and low level connections from the rewashing vessel, and with educting means for water and clean oil respectively. said separator vessel adapted to-hold the liquids quiesccntlv to enable gravity separation therein 01 oil from water.

Tn testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

TREGARTHEN DAVY'S iCTHLRUS.

Certificagte of Correction.

It is hereby certifir -d that in Letters Patent No. 1,462,048, grantd July 1?, 199.3,- fpr an improvement In Apparatus for Cleaning and Glarifymg Used Lubricating Oil? the name of the patentee is erroneously written and printed as Tregnrthen Davis Richards, whereas said name should lhave been written and printed as Tregwrfllen Din-vies Richards,- and that the said laztters Patent should be read with this icifection therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent,

0e. igned and sealed this 9th day of October, A. D., 1923.

{sun} WM. A. KINNAN,

Acting Commissioner of Patent; 

